Down Under and Under the Weather
by StephEzzy27
Summary: When a minor incident occurs on the reservation, Jennifer soon displays symptoms of something much worse. However, not everything is as it seems, and the real cause of her illness will soon be discovered! Horrible summary and title; hopefully you'll all find the story to be better! Enjoy!


Hey everyone! This is my first published story on Fanfiction and I really hope you all like it. Reviews are definitely encouraged since this is my first time trying my knack at writing. Please forgive any and all mistakes; unfortunately my knowledge of _Hart to Hart_ isn't perfect due to the fact that I am too young to have seen it on TV and therefore I have relied on kind YouTube users who have taken the time to upload episodes. I've tried to see every episode and Made-for-TV movie, along with dozens of interviews because I love the Harts so much! I DO NOT own any part of this show and/or its characters…although I wish I did! Enjoy!

**Down Under and Under the Weather**

The reserve became their home away from home. Jennifer couldn't stay away from the animals and Jonathan couldn't stay away from Jennifer. The wildlife present was simply magical to her, from the mobs of what-is-its, to the prides of lions. Their house in L.A. was great, but nothing compared to the Australian outback. Freeway spent his time chasing various species of birds and small critters; he almost forgot how much he missed Max. Five years had passed and the pain lingered, but life went on. Hart Industries was still thriving, so Jonathan only had to leave a few days a month to take care of business matters. He had taken on a whole new business with this game reserve, setting forth to restore the animals to their original numbers. Jennifer was thrilled with this to say the least.

"Now I'm only going to be gone for three days" he explained to her, "But it's really more like two and a half with the time difference if you think about it".

"Jonathan, I think I'll be able to survive for a couple of days, I always do." she replied in a comforting voice, her head resting on his chest as they lay in bed.

"I know, but I always feel bad leaving you alone" he kissed her on the top of her head.

"I have Jr. don't I?" she questioned jokingly, glancing at the ball of fur sprawled out on the cool hardwood floor. "I'll be fine; you go take care of what you have to take care of."

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" Jonathan asked, stroking her hair.

"Must I count the ways darling?" she said with a smile, looking up at him. He took it as an invitation and no sooner had pinned her down to the bed, leaving a trail of kisses along her neck. Clothes were shed and one very embarrassed dog later, the two lovers lay in each others' arms.

"Just something to remember me by" she sighed into his chest.

"Us", he corrected, "Something to remember us by".

Three days came and went and before Jennifer knew it, Jonathan was due home in less than two hours. It was time for her to head back to the house so she could greet her husband. Jennifer had spent the days out in the wilderness, enjoying the views and the wildlife. Every once in a while she came to an area the seemed familiar, that reminded her of the chase Elliot had sent her and Jonathan on. Those memories still haunted her sometimes, but she didn't have to worry about him anymore. Jonathan had saved her. At first it had frightened her, but she came to understand that it was either him or them who would have been shot. She was thinking about all this as she walked through the trees and bushes, hearing the chirping of birds as she walked. Then came an awful noise, a loud hissing sound arising from the foliage. Before she could react, she felt pain in her arm. Some sort of snake had reached out from a tree limb and clamped down on her. Relief flooded into her once she noticed it wasn't venomous. The snake eventually let go and the pain lingered, but she was okay. She made her way back to the house, paying attention to every single tree branch that she walked by. When she got back to the house, she saw a figure standing in the kitchen through the French back doors and picked up her pace a little. Jonathan saw her coming and met her at the entrance, sweeping her up into his arms, sealing her mouth in a searing kiss. Jennifer was so caught up she almost forgot about the bite mark; that was until Jonathan's hands began to wander down her arms. He made it to her lower arms before she let out a painful yelp, jumping back from his touch. Jonathan looked down to see both her arm and his hand covered in blood. A look of horror came over his face.

"Oh my God darling, what did I do?" he asked her, his voice full of concern. Jennifer walked towards the sink, ushering Jonathan to follow.

"Darling you didn't do anything, but the snake sure did." She replied with a small laugh, running her arm under the water. The addition of soap caused her wince in pain, but she continued to clean the wound until all the blood was gone.

"Excuse me, a snake? I don't want to alarm you darling but I think we should consider a trip to the hospital." He told her firmly as he gently dried her arm with a towel.

"It's alright Jonathan, it wasn't poisonous or anything. It's just a little sore right now, but that's because it only happened an hour ago." She explained, placing a hand on his chest. "You might take care of the business end of this game reserve, but I'm a bit more familiar with the actual game".

"Jennifer, I don't like the fact you were bit by a snake, venomous or not. But," he started with a sigh, "if you're sure you're okay then I guess I'll have to take your word for it." He told her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Yes you do." She told him as she applied a bandage to her arm. "Now, it just so happens that I haven't seen my husband in close to three full days and I'd like to welcome him home properly." Jennifer mentioned with a grin and a wink. Jonathan didn't need much more encouragement, as he lifted her into his arms and carried her away into their room. Within seconds of placing her on the bed, Jennifer was tearing at Jonathan's shirt and Jonathan at Jennifer's. Three days doesn't sound like a lot, but to the Harts it was an eternity. His eyes were full of lust as he tore away at the last bits of her clothing, taking a moment to admire the women in front of him before taking her.

It was late that night when the couple finally woke up, but that's what happens when you go to "bed" at five in the afternoon. Jennifer woke up to feel Jonathan's fingers gently sweeping over the bite mark left by the snake. She moved her hand to take his in it and he immediately stopped, glancing at her with fear.

"I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked with concern. Jennifer smiled and reached up to stroke his hair.

"Of course you didn't darling, the feel of your touch woke me up" she told him, giving him a little kiss on the lips. He tightened his grip around her body and smiled weakly at her.

"I'm sorry this happened to you, it shouldn't have." He said with shame. Jennifer squirmed out of his grip and sat up straight in bed.

"Are you being serious Jonathan, really?" she questioned sternly. "I can take care of myself quite well. Am I not 48 years old?" Jonathan sat up and moved closer to her

"You don't look 48, you don't feel 48, and you certainly don't always act 48." He told her with a smirk, moving his arms around her midriff. Jennifer rolled her eyes at him.

"That wasn't the significant part of the sentence Jonathan. It wasn't your fault that a wild animal gave me a little nip on the arm, okay?" she said, looking straight into his blue eyes.

"Okay" he replied. "But if the animals start to leave more than a nip, we're going to have a serious problem Jennifer. Please try to be careful, if I ever lost you…" his voice trailed off, as did his mind, to how he felt when Max died. If it hadn't been for Jennifer, he wouldn't have been able to go on living his life, but thanks to her, he looked forward to every new day and prayed that each present one would never end. Jennifer saw where his mind had gone to and edged closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. There they stayed until sleep overtook them, and that night their dreams were full of memories.

It couldn't have been later than six in the morning when it happened. Jennifer basically had to tear herself from Jonathan's grip in order to run into the bathroom where she emptied everything that had been in her stomach. Her sudden movement woke Jonathan, who followed the terrible noise into the bathroom and found his wife lying on the tile floor, completely out of breath. He ran to her and helped her sit up.

"Whew, that's one way to start your morning" she joked, but Jonathan was in no mood for laughing.

"What happened Jennifer?" he asked, searching her face for answers.

"I don't really know; I just woke up with this overwhelming desire to throw up." She told him with a shrug, slowly getting to her feet.

"Where do you think you're going darling?" he asked her, standing up and grabbing her arm. She kept walking and went to sit on the edge of the bed.

"This is where I'm going if it's alright with you."

"Darling, this isn't good. What if that snake wasn't what you thought it was?" he said, joining Jennifer on the bed.

"Jonathan, I know what I saw. I'm entitled to feel sick from time to time you know. It was probably the breakfast I had yesterday morning. Maria made this odd meal but I had to eat it, I could let her feelings get hurt darling" she tried to explain to him.

"So your explanation is food poisoning?" he said, obviously unconvinced.

"Yes it is and besides the non-venomous snake theory, do you have any other suggestions?" she questioned. He brushed the hair from her face and let out a sigh.

"You're extremely difficult you know that right?" he asked her. She let out a laugh and smiled at him.

"Yes, and you knew I was that way when you married me" she reminded him.

"Yeah, I know. Just promise me this: If something else happens we're going to the hospital." he asked her.

"Okay, deal." She promised, and sealed it with a kiss on the cheek.

The day seemed to be progressing fine. Jonathan had made a few calls early in the morning, leaving plenty of time to spend with Jennifer. Together they walked through to reserve, admiring the koalas, swearing they recognized the one they brought to the opera. Jennifer argued he looked more "cultured" than the others; Jonathan agreed, saying he looked like he had been through the ringer, and was consequently wacked by Jennifer. As they were walking towards the river, Jonathan noticed that Jennifer's eyes looked glazed over. He asked if she was alright and she argued that she was. The argument ended ten minutes later when she tumbled to the ground, unconscious.

The trip to the hospital was filled with nothing but fear. For all he knew, his wife was dying. He couldn't help but blame himself; he should have made her go to the hospital. He was always such a push over when it came to Jennifer; he could never say no to her. When they arrived at the hospital, Jonathan was forced to stay in the waiting room while Jennifer was rushed into the nearest room. Jonathan could do nothing but assume the worst when no one came to talk to him. His mind went back to all the times he had been with Jennifer; he remember their first meeting, their wedding, their honeymoon, their old house, everything. Then, finally, someone came out and walked towards him.

"Mr. Hart, your wife is in perfectly stable condition." The doctor told him, and Jonathan let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank God. What happened to her doctor?" Jonathan questioned of the doctor.

"We don't know yet Mr. Hart. Our first assumption is the snake bite that you told his about, but we'll do some blood work to be sure." The doctor replied. "Now if you don't mind, I have to go attend to another patient. You're free to visit your wife, but try not to alarm her in any way" and with that, the doctor walked away and into another examining room. Jonathan stood up and walked slowly towards Jennifer's room. When he got to the doorway, he was scared to go in. The woman in the bed before him looked so weak, so frail, so unlike Jennifer. He made is way in and sat down in the chair besides her bed. He picked up her hand and placed a kiss in her palm, causing her to stir.

"Darling, what happened?" she asked him, looking around at her current surroundings.

"You collapsed while we were walking around outside honey. You were rushed to the hospital from there. You don't remember?" he asked her, gently caressing her face.

"I can't say that I do…" she responded, searching her mind for any memories of the event. "Do they think it was the snake?"

"That's their best bet right now, but there not 100% sure yet." he explained to her. "Now you just rest and I'll be right here okay?" he told her.

"Okay darling" she said, stifling a yawn. With ten minutes, she was sound asleep again and Jonathan was free to look as worried as he felt.

Doctors passed in and out of the room to check on Jennifer, but it was still unknown what had happened to her. Late in the afternoon, a doctor bearing answers finally arrived.

"Mr. Hart, Mrs. Hart, how are you doing?" he asked politely, closing the door behind him.

"I'm feeling good, although you might want to check on my husband" she motioned to Jonathan who looked more stressed out than she had ever seen him. He moved closer to her and took her hand in his.

"I'm fine. Do you know anything yet?" he wanted answers so badly. The doctor nodded slowly.

"Yes we do, but I'm going to need to talk to your wife alone" he requested in his Australian drawl. Jonathan's jaw clenched and his grip on Jennifer tightened.

"Is that really necessary doctor?" Jennifer asked. "As you can tell, I don't think my husband wants to leave me alone".

"It will only take a couple of minutes, then Mr. Hart can rejoin you" he explained. "Mr. Hart, could you please give us a moment?" Jonathan was uncomfortable with the idea to say the least, but the look in Jennifer's eyes told him it was okay. He kissed her good-bye and walked out the door. He wanted to know what was wrong, but he respected her enough not to eavesdrop, walking down the hall towards the dining hall.

"Mrs. Hart," the doctor began with a sigh, "this really is sort of extraordinary". The doctor pulled up a chair and sat next her Jennifer bed. Jennifer began to feel alarmed and moved to sit up in her bed.

"How is a snake bite extraordinary?" she asked with a slightly sarcastic tone. "Should I have died?"

"No, no, no. That's just it; the snake bite had nothing to do with this." He said, opening a folder he had brought with him. "Mrs. Hart, I have a rather strange question to ask you."

"Okay, well ask away. If it will help you figure anything out…"she told him with a shrug.

"I know you don't have any children, but was there ever a time when you were trying to conceive?" he asked, shifting his eyes from the paper to her. Jennifer's facial expression rapidly changed and her body grew tense. A mixture of pain and anger showed through her eyes.

"Why would you ask me something like that?" she asked just slightly above a whisper.

"Mrs. Hart, please answer the question. I promise you it's important" the doctor urged her. Jennifer tried to compose herself as best she could. These were memories she didn't wish to revisit.

"Yes, but that was a long time ago." She told him in a sad voice "We lost our baby during the first trimester. I was in an accident, I barely remember the details. It was almost twenty years ago and afterwards, it just never happened for us." She forced herself to hold back the tears. She needed to move past this, it happened so long ago. The guilt had overtaken her, and Jonathan tried to convince her it wasn't her fault but Jennifer couldn't help but blame herself. The last thing she remembered was a red car speeding at her. When she woke up, she found Jonathan staring at her with sad eyes, bearing the bad news.

"_No, please no" she cried. He had nothing to say, so he just wrapped her up in his arms and held her as she wept. "I'm sorry Jonathan, I'm so, so sorry"_

"Can you tell me why you need to know?" she asked, hoping she hadn't relived those memories for nothing. The doctor shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Mrs. Hart are you and your husband..." he paused, trying to decide how to put it, "active?" Jennifer gave him an appalled look.

"Excuse me?" she asked in disgust.

"Please Mrs. Hart, I'm not trying to be difficult" he explained.

"Yes, we are active, very active if that helps" she snapped at him.

"Mrs. Hart, please try to understand my intentions. I don't have your medical history, I'm sorry I had to ask about your accident but I'm just trying to make sense of all this" he kindly explained, well aware of how upset this was making her.

"Well if you care to tell me what's going on, we might be able to figure it out." she told him, her voice rising. The doctor took a huge breath, as did Jennifer. She didn't know if she had to get so worked up, but the doctor did.

"There's not a whole lot to figure out once we're past the basics. You're pregnant" he revealed. She was speechless. Her eyes stared off into the distance until they were snapped back by the doctor's question.

"This is just a formality, but are you 100% sure it's Mr. Hart's?" oh yeah, he went there. He went where no one else dared to go with a question.

"How dare you suggest that I was anything less than completely faithful to my husband? He is the love of my life and if there's a baby growing inside of me, he's the father of it" she shouted at the man. This had hit her like a ton of bricks and she was in no mood to be charged with infidelity.

He continued to talk but Jennifer didn't hear any of it. Her mind was racing, her head spinning. The doctor finally noticed that she was not ready to listen and excused himself from the room, promising to come back after she had a chance to wrap her head around the news.

There was no way; there was just no way this could be happening. She was almost fifty years old, now was not the right time. She had given up on this idea within three years of the crash, she had moved on with her life. Jonathan and Max had always been enough for her. How was she going to tell him; how would he take it?

"_I can't tell him yet"_ she thought to herself. The last time she did that, their world came crashing down and Jonathan was pulled into it. "My God, I'm having a baby" she said aloud, and then broke down into tears. Jonathan poked his head through the door to find his wife weeping softly to herself, and he rushed to her side.

"Darling, what happened? What did he say?" he asked her, stroking her face with his fingertips. She took a moment to try to think of what to say.

"It was the snake Jonathan" she lied. "Here I thought I was such an outdoorsy person and I don't even know lethal snakes from nonlethal ones." She told him and continued to cry into his shoulder.

"Darling, it's okay. You don't need to get so worked up about this. As long as you're safe and healthy, that's all that matters." he said, looking deep into her eyes. She wanted to believe him, but the truth was so much worse than he knew. She just smiled weakly at him and nodded her head. Jonathan continued to hold her and didn't let go until she was sound asleep.

Jennifer had warned the doctors what would happen to them if they let Jonathan know about the pregnancy. They only talked about it when he was back at the reserve, or down the hall getting something to eat. The conversations were usually short because Jonathan was rarely at the reserve; he tried never to leave her side. After two days in the hospital, she was released and free to go home. She hid the sickness as best she could, if caught she blamed it on the meds the hospital had put her on. She swore she wouldn't tell Jonathan until she was into her second trimester, because so much could happen in that amount of time. One afternoon about two weeks short of her second trimester, Jonathan changed her mind, he just didn't know yet. Jennifer was asleep on the hammock when Jonathan came running up to her.

"Come on darling, you've got to see this" he exclaimed, pushing her towards the ATV crossover vehicle he had just come from. After a five minute ride, they came to a small clearing in the brush. She could make out the striped figures but didn't know why Jonathan was so excited about it. As they walked closer, she was astonished to see what was going on. Jonathan had practically carried her out here to witness the birth of a little zebra. They made it just in time to see it being born. The connection between the two animals was instantaneous. Jennifer had often thought the birth of an animal would be disgusting to watch, but she had never seen anything so beautiful in her entire life. She blinked away the tears from her eyes and grabbed Jonathan's hand, holding it tightly.

"It's pretty incredible you know," he told her, keeping his eyes on the new family, "this whole business of life." She looked to her left and just stared at him with a huge smile.

"It sure is darling" she agreed. _You have no idea._

Two days passed and Jennifer decided she would tell him. Anything could happen, but he deserved to know even if it would eventually break his heart. She had taken a shower and was getting changed when she noticed it; she was showing. She slowly brought her hands down and placed them gently on her slightly rounded stomach. She smiled despite the inward apprehension she felt. Jonathan was sitting on the bed with a recent copy of the New York Times, courtesy of his old buddy Johnny on the Spot, when Jennifer walked in.

"Hi-ya darling" he said, acknowledging her presence. She smiled as she walked towards the desk at the opposite end of the room.

"Those zebras sure were something, weren't they darling?" she asked admiringly, thinking back to his previous reaction.

"Yeah they were pretty great" he agreed, looking up from the paper to smile at her. She started to pace across the room, brushing her hair, thinking about how she should tell him.

"Was that part of your breeding program darling?" she asked, knowing the answer. He nodded his response, his eyes never leaving the paper. Jennifer let out a small laugh.

"What's so funny?" he questioned confusingly. She walked towards him and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

"Nothing darling, I'm just happy to see you getting so interested in helping out these animals. It's nice to see so much life coming from your efforts." she explained, even if he didn't know the full extent of what she was telling him.

"Darling, I'm glad you're happy, but it's only the first time it's been successful. Don't get too excited yet, there's a lot left to do." he reminded her. She took a deep breath and moved to straddle him, taking the newspaper from his hands.

"That's what you think Jonathan" she laughed, bending down to kiss his neck. He ran his fingers through her auburn hair and lifted her chin to meet his eyes.

"Jennifer what are you talking about? Is another animal due? Is it our mob of what-is-its?" he asked with a smile, searching for a reason for her excitement. She crossed her arms across his chest and smiled admiringly at him.

"No darling." she told him. She sighed and decided now was the time, since he was getting as confused as she'd ever seen him. "Not an animal per say, although I guess you could call me that if you really wanted to."

His eyes grew wide and he looked at her, silently asking the question he dared not inquire aloud. There was no way he was on track, but he still wondered if it was true…and it was. Her eyes told him.

"You know Jonathan, I always knew you took your work home with you but this is just ridiculous" she giggled, trying to hide the tears that were beginning to form. He reached up to cradle her face in his hands, holding her so gently, as if his touch would hurt her.

"Jen?" he asked softly. He had only called her that twice in her life: the day they got married and the day of the accident. Tears started on cascade down her face as she nodded against his hands. "Oh my God" he mumbled before pressing her lips against his, crying harder than he had in years. Jennifer held onto his hands still cradling her head and let out all her pent up emotions.

"Are you sure darling, 100% certain?" he asked, trying not to get his hopes up.

"Yeah, I'm sure. You are happy?" she asked, just checking to see if his reaction matched his feelings. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks and blinked away his own tears.

"I love you so much Jennifer. I've never been so happy in my entire life" he told her, his eyes flooding up with tears again. "I can't believe it's really happening, after all this time."

"I'm sorry it happened now Jonathan, I really am." she apologized.

"What do you have to feel sorry for? Darling, the fact that it happened at all is a blessing enough." he explained to her, never taking his eyes away.

"Yeah, it's just too bad we weren't younger" she admitted. Jonathan sat up straight and brought Jennifer with him, his face becoming stern.

"My God Jennifer, I don't care how old you are or how old I am. We're having a baby and that's all I could ever dream of." She wanted to have the final word, but Jonathan sealed her mouth in a kiss that left her with nothing to argue about.

"I love you Jonathan" she mumbled against his lips.

"I love you too."

That night, neither of them could fall asleep. Jennifer was curled up against Jonathan, and he couldn't stop gliding his hand over her stomach, amazed at what was going on inside. His free hand was entwined with hers and every so often he would gently squeeze it.

"I can't believe I didn't notice it" he said astonishingly. Jennifer let out a small laugh and patted his hand.

"Darling, if there's one thing years of rookie detective work has taught me, it's how to be sneaky." she told him, craning her neck to place a kiss on his lips. "Although I'm surprised you didn't notice the weight gain. I'm starting to look like I'm stashing a soccer ball under here." She laughed, turning over to face Jonathan.

"You don't look a single pound heavier than you did on our wedding day" he said admiringly.

"Well, I guess I was pretty fat at our wedding then" she joked. He gave her a look she knew all too well. "Ooh, just kidding".

"Do you think we can pull this off?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her waist. Jennifer smiled weakly at him.

"All we can do is hope Jonathan. There's a lot to worry about, a lot more than last time and we see how well that worked out." she said, averting her eyes from his stare.

"Darling, that wasn't your fault. I don't know how much longer it's going to take for you to truly understand that" he said softly.

"I let you down Jonathan" she admitted.

"You did absolutely no such thing" he stated firmly, grasping her shoulders. Jennifer shook her head.

"He was everything to you Jonathan and because I wasn't careful enough he died!" she screamed through tears. "I killed our baby" she whimpered.

"He?" he questioned softly, bringing his hand up to wipe away the tears. She nodded and gave him a moment to absorb the new information. She saw the pain in his eyes.

"I never wanted to tell you Jonathan. We were going to have a son; you were going to have a son." She said as she sniffled.

"Jennifer, he was going to be your baby too. I don't understand why you think it was so much harder on me. It broke my heart when it happened, but it broke yours too." He told her, hugging her tightly. "The person responsible for this is dead Jennifer. It is most certainly not you."

"I'm sorry Jonathan." she mumbled into his chest.

"I don't want to hear you say that again Jennifer. Thanks to you we're getting a second chance at this. Now I don't care if it's a boy or a girl, as long as it's strong and healthy, with your smile and your gorgeous red hair."

"Only if she has the courage to wear pink" Jennifer compromised.


End file.
